May has arrived and the upcoming Memorial Day holiday marks the start to the summer for many. The only problem is that summer doesn’t “officially” start until a month later, so spring activities are still taking place.

This means spring sports will still be in full swing, with regular season or playoff games remaining and travel tournaments over the holiday weekend in just about every spring sport. So, if your child’s team is playing over the holiday weekend but you have a Memorial Day celebration to attend, which do you choose?

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Ideally, you’d love to do both. You’d get to watch your child play and then show up to the picnic just as the burgers are coming off the grill. However, that’s not always possible.

The first thing I’d do as a parent is evaluate the importance of the game. Is it just another regular-season game with no effect on playoffs? If so, the picnic is probably the way to go. However, if it is a big game then it’s important to remember that your child isn’t the only one who wants to play – their team is counting on them too. By this point, it’s been a long season and it would be a shame for the team not to make the playoffs because your child is at a family picnic.

That being said, I’ve always been a big supporter of youth sports not taking over family’s lives. After all, family should always come before sports when necessary. If this picnic is one of the few times you get to see your relatives, then your child should probably be there too.

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There are two final questions I always ask myself when making these decisions:

1. What would my brother or sister do in the same situation?
2. Will the family really care if my son is at a game?

 

The bottom line is that as parents, we have to go with our gut feeling and do what we feel is the best for our family when making any decision. There is no easy solution to scheduling issues, just several possible scenarios that will have different outcomes for.

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years with perspectives as a parent, coach and board member. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.